


Loneliness is Part of the Script

by Panta



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Acting, Alternate Universe - Actors, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Established Relationship, Everybody Lives, Fluff and Angst, Kaito and Kaede are Kinda Mean, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not Exactly Pregame but Not Canon Either, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi-centric, Ouma not Oma, Sad Oma Kokichi, Soft Oma Kokichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 04:15:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16189877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panta/pseuds/Panta
Summary: “You’re alone, Kokichi, and you always will be.”Those captivatingly gorgeous, endless violet eyes go dull, and it makes Shuichi’s heart ache even as he keeps a stern face in the deafening silence.Silence…?No, that isn’t right! Kokichi isn’t supposed to be silent, he’s supposed to bounce back. He’s supposed to deliver a snarky line and another one of those nightmarish faces that make his skin crawl and the audience go wild. So why isn’t he doing anything?Why is he just standing, staring?





	Loneliness is Part of the Script

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this awhile back and recently decided to slap an ending on and post it.  
> Being an Actor AU, there is some intentional OOC-ness! Kaede and Kaito are similar to their pregame selves, and Kokichi is softer than in canon. Shuichi is much of the same.

Shuichi has been dreading this scene since he first laid eyes on the script.

It’s not that he doesn’t think he can do it. Maybe in the beginning he would’ve doubted his ability to be stone-cold and harsh, but the months of work he’s put into this show have strengthened both his skills and his faith in them. No, he knows he _can._

He just really, _really_ doesn’t want to.

“Look around you, Kokichi.” He snarls in disdain, gesturing to the empty space around the boy; everyone had run to Kaito’s side. “Kaito has all of us, see? But nobody wants to be around you.” He watches his boyfriend’s expression begin to disappear, falling into that blank stare that still deeply unsettles him after all this time.

He falters ever so slightly before saying the final line, but plays it off as a dramatic pause. He has to do this right, if only so he doesn’t have to do it again. The director will make them repeat the scene as many times as it takes, regardless of how the actors feel about it.

“You’re alone, Kokichi, and you always will be.”

Those captivatingly gorgeous, endless violet eyes go dull, and it makes Shuichi’s heart ache even as he keeps a stern face in the deafening silence.

_Silence…?_

No, that isn’t right! Kokichi isn’t supposed to be silent, he’s supposed to bounce back. He’s supposed to deliver a snarky line and another one of those nightmarish faces that make his skin crawl and the audience go wild. So why isn’t he doing anything?

Why is he just standing, staring?

Then suddenly, it happens.

He bounces back.

“Ah-haha! You’re talking about _friends?”_ Hands behind his head, Kokichi gives him a carefree smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. They don’t glisten with mischief or malice, or darken with anger, they just...stare. Shuichi swears they shine just the slightest bit.

“Friends don’t-“ Kokichi bites his lip, clearly putting all his energy into forcing out the line. “Friends don’t make...this g-game...” he chokes on his words, so uncharacteristically unable to speak. Shuichi wants so badly to hold him, to reassure him that it isn’t true, it never will be, but he can’t break character. He can’t! And then-

All at once, Kokichi’s mask falls, the tears break free, and he crumples to his knees. His sobs split the air and pull on Shuichi’s heart, begging him to come forth and stop them.

So he does, because if _Kokichi_ of all people has broken character then there’s no reason for anyone else to bother trying. His act needs to remain perfect.

Shuichi kneels in front of his boyfriend, tugging him into a gentle embrace.

Kokichi pushes him away.

The short boy staggers to his feet, recoiling from Shuichi like the taller actor had burned him. “Sh-Shu...I-I didn’t...I can’t... I’m sorry!” He turns and sprints out of the studio, desperately wiping away the endless trails of tears that pour from his eyes.

“Kichi, wait!” Shuichi calls after his partner, but, ever nimble, the boy is long gone before he even gets to his feet.

“Geez, what’s his problem?” He hears someone, maybe Kaito, scoff at the display. “It’s like we did all this build-up for nothing...”

Shuichi clenches his fists. “Shut _up.”_

“What’s his problem? What’s his _problem?!”_ Shuichi whirls around to face the other actors, glaring daggers at the one who spoke. “His problem is that _you_ keep treating him like a villain, in and out of filming! He’s a _person,_ just the same as us, and he has feelings!”

“I’m sorry Shuichi, but uh...” Kaede places a hand on her hip and sneers. “Weren’t _you_ the one who just told him he’d always be alone?”

Shuichi’s head turns away sharply. “Yes...yes I did. But you all are the reason he _believed_ it.”

* * *

 “Kokichi.” Shuichi raps his knuckles against the locked door to his partner’s dressing room, knowing he wouldn’t have left the building by himself. “Please…” He knocks again, “let me in.”

The door cracks open, one puffy violet eye peeking out from behind it. Kokichi sniffles, “literally or figuratively?”

Shuichi can’t help but chuckle, “both would be preferable. Let’s start with literally, okay?”

Kokichi seems to hesitate, looking him over before darting one hand out to grab his arm and yank him into the room. Before Shuichi can even blink, the door is locked and Kokichi’s arms are around him. He raises a hand to stroke the boy’s hair, careful to avoid the still-healing wound on his forehead. Just the thought of how he got it makes him frown.

While filming the third investigation, some of his colleagues got the bright idea to trip Kokichi as some sort of prank. Unfortunately, luck is almost never on Kokichi’s side. The boy managed to slam his head into the floor- to this day, Shuichi is baffled by how and why he didn’t catch himself, and Kokichi has yet to provide an answer- and nearly earn a concussion in the process. Evidently, their director saw an opportunity to increase production value, so she decided to milk his injury for all it was worth.

Of course, she neglected to mention this fact to Shuichi and Maki, so the shock on his face at discovering his bloodied form was completely genuine. When Kokichi leapt up with the declaration of a lie, however, Shuichi figured the whole thing was fake and played his part. He pretended not to care, feeling almost impressed by his boyfriend’s ability to feign lightheadedness. After filming ended, he was mortified to learn what had really happened.

There was a trend with this cast, it seemed, to not care a bit for Kokichi’s well-being. It made sense in-character, as the entire point was for him to be hated, but it royally pissed Shuichi off that they had such blatant disregard for his boyfriend’s health. Even now, when he breaks down from loneliness, from their iconic _despair,_ the only thing they do is bitch about having to redo the scene.

Shuichi struggles to reign in his anger as he walks Kokichi to the dressing room’s small couch, sitting down with the boy curled up against his chest. He watches Kokichi nuzzle his cheek against him and he finds the act so utterly adorable as he listens to his shuddering breaths begin to steady.

“Kokichi…” He starts, barely above a whisper. “You know I didn’t mean it, right?” The reply is immediate, surprising Shuichi.

“Don’t be an idiot; of course I know. I know it’s just a line, I know it’s part of our roles, but I just can’t help it! I just…” Kokichi tilts his head back to gaze up at him, glimmering violet eyes meeting soft amber. “It hits too close to home, Shu. I always feel alone when I’m around them, in-character or not. Nobody wants me around...” Tears form in his eyes again, threatening to spill over onto the dried tracks that remain. “I-I shouldn’t even be he-“

“Hush.” Shuichi silences him with a loving kiss, tenderly cupping his chin in one hand. “Tell that beautiful brain of yours to shut up for once.”

“Shu…” Kokichi whimpers, chasing Shuichi’s mouth with his own; the taller boy obliges him, their lips locking together like hot, wet puzzle pieces. The smaller links his hands behind his boyfriend’s neck, pulling him down to deepen the kiss.

The position cranes his neck a bit, so Shuichi opts to lay Kokichi down on the couch and hover over him, entranced by the way the faux-leader’s hair surrounds his head like a halo. His eyes are wide and sparkling, as gorgeous as ever even when red from crying. “You’re an angel…” he whispers into Kokichi’s ear, nipping at the shell and promptly smirking against it when the boy whines and pulls him closer.

Acting, Shuichi thinks, is full of lying. He and his boyfriend spit venom on set, firing silver bullets straight into their hearts. Their words are meaningless when the camera is rolling.

But whether it be alone or when filming, their bodies can’t quite lie.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> Writing is getting a bit easier, so I might be able to work on DM soon...  
> We'll see.


End file.
